Impact of Socioeconomic Characteristics and Comorbidities on Therapy Initiation and Outcomes of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: Real-World Data From a Resource-Constrained Setting

BackgroundOutcomes of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) in developing regions have not paralleled those in developed settings. Economic disadvantage, comorbidities, and aggressive disease behavior play competing roles on defining outcomes. Our aim was to analyze the impact of socioeconomic characteristics and comorbidities on therapy initiation, drug selection, and survival outcomes of NDMM in a resource-constrained setting.Patients and MethodsThis retrospective single-center cohort included ≥ 18-year-old NDMM patients from January 2006 to December 2018.ResultsA total of 245 patients were included with a median age of 62 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2 in 70.2%, International Staging System score ≥ 2 in 89.4%, and high-risk disease in 31.6%. Comorbidities were reported in 69.4%, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was ≥ 2 in 64.1%. A total of 87.4% (n = 214) received thalidomide-, alkylating-, and bortezomib-based induction in 67.8%, 18.2%, and 13.1%. Patient-related factors including performance status, comorbidities, and CCI, but not myeloma-related factors, were associated with a decreased likelihood of initiating induction therapy. On multivariate analysis, CCI ≥ 2 remained statistically significant (odds ratio, 5.81; P = .005). Overall survival was 44 months. Although both patient- and myeloma-related factors were associated with a decreased overall survival, only International Staging System score > 2 (hazard ratio, 3.53; P = .004) and induction without bortezomib-based regimens (hazard ratio, 4.45; P < .001) were statistically significant on multivariate analysis.ConclusionMyeloma- and treatment-related factors are the main determinants of survival in NDMM induction-eligible patients. Patient-related factors play a pivotal role determining access to therapy and survival outcomes. Comorbidity index and performance status were determinant on defining therapy initiation in this real-world population, which emphasizes the need to improve health baseline conditions in resource-constrained settings.     

过表达脑源性神经营养因子的神经干细胞移植对受照海马内神经营养因子的影响

目的 探讨过表达脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的神经干细胞（NSCs）移植入放射性脑损伤大鼠模型后,对海马内神经营养因子水平及小胶质细胞活化的影响。方法 从胎鼠脑中分离海马神经干细胞并进行培养。选用绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）-慢病毒、GFP-BDNF-慢病毒感染神经干细胞。将SD大鼠按随机数表法分为4组：健康对照组、单纯照射组（R组）、照射后GFP修饰的神经干细胞移植组（R+NSCs组）、照射后GFP-BDNF修饰的神经干细胞移植组（R+BDNF-NSCs组）。全脑单次20 Gy照射后1个月将神经干细胞移植入大鼠双侧海马内。移植后2和8周检测海马组织中BDNF、胶质源性神经营养因子（GDNF）、神经生长因子（NGF）的表达情况;免疫荧光染色观察小胶质细胞活化情况。结果 移植后2和8周时,与R组相比,R+BDNF-NSCs组海马组织中BDNF、NGF蛋白表达均水平明显增高（P<0.05）;移植后8周R+NSCs组和R+BDNF-NSCs组活化的小胶质细胞与R组相比并未显著减少（P>0.05）。结论 过表达BDNF的神经干细胞移植后促进BDNF、NGF的产生,增加了辐射暴露后的海马内神经营养因子水平。     

Embryonic develop-associated gene 1 is overexpressed and acts as a tumor promoter in thyroid carcinoma

Embryonic develop-associated gene 1 (EDAG-1), a hematopoietic tissue-specific protein, is usually highly expressed in the placenta, fetal liver, bone marrow and leukemia cells, but the expression status in normal or solid tumor tissues is rarely reported. In this study, we found that EDAG-1 was up-regulated in thyroid carcinoma tissues and cells. Knockdown of EDAG-1 suppressed proliferation and enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cells. We also demonstrated that knockdown of EDAG-1 inactivated the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of EDAG-1 suppressed tumorigenesis of thyroid carcinoma in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest that EDAG-1 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.     

Inhibition of phosphodiesterase-4 suppresses HMGB1/RAGE signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress

Inhibition of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) produces robust anti-inflammatory and antidepressant-like effects in multiple animal models. However, the detailed mechanisms have not been well studied. Receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) and inflammasome activation are implicated in the etiology of depression. Here, we aimed to investigate the involvement of RAGE and nucleotide-binding domain (NOD)–like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the antidepressant-like effects of PDE4 inhibition in mice. We found that inhibition of PDE4 by roflupram (ROF, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg, i.g.) exerted antidepressant-like effects in mice subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Simultaneously, ROF inhibited CUMS-induced microglial activation and restored the morphology of microglial cells in the hippocampus, as evidenced by reduced total process length, area, volume, number of branching points, number of terminal points and total sholl intersections of microglia. ROF also decreased the expression of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 and the level of interleukin-1β. Western blot analysis showed that PDE4 inhibition suppressed the high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1)/RAGE signaling pathway, as the levels of HMGB1, RAGE, toll-like receptor 4, phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and nuclear factor κ-B were decreased in both hippocampus and cortex in mice after treatment with ROF. Moreover, ROF also attenuated the protein levels of NLRP3, the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing (ASC), and cysteine-requiring aspartate protease-1 (Caspase-1), which are key proteins in the NLRP3-mediated inflammasome signaling pathway. In summary, these results demonstrate that the down-regulation of HMGB1/RAGE signaling pathway and inflammasome suppression possibly contribute to the antidepressant-like effects of PDE4 inhibitors. And, ROF has potential as a candidate drug in the treatment of depression.     

The role of adiposity,diet and inflammation on the discordance between LDL-C and apolipoprotein B

Background and aimsWhile low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a good predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is superior when the two markers are discordant. We aimed to determine the impact of adiposity, diet and inflammation upon ApoB and LDL-C discordance.Methods and resultsMachine learning (ML) and structural equation models (SEMs) were applied to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate cardiometabolic and dietary factors when LDL-C and ApoB are concordant/discordant. Mendelian randomisation (MR) determined whether adiposity and inflammation exposures were causal of elevated/decreased LDL-C and/or ApoB. ML showed body mass index (BMI), dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA), dietary fibre, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and uric acid were the most strongly associated variables (R² = 0.70) in those with low LDL-C and high ApoB. SEMs revealed that fibre (b = ?0.42, p = 0.001) and SFA (b = 0.28, p = 0.014) had a significant association with our outcome (joined effect of ApoB and LDL-C). BMI (b = 0.65, p = 0.001), fibre (b = ?0.24, p = 0.014) and SFA (b = 0.26, p = 0.032) had significant associations with CRP. MR analysis showed genetically higher body fat percentage had a significant causal effect on ApoB (Inverse variance weighted (IVW) = Beta: 0.172, p = 0.0001) but not LDL-C (IVW = Beta: 0.006, p = 0.845).ConclusionOur data show increased discordance between ApoB and LDL-C is associated with cardiometabolic, clinical and dietary abnormalities and that body fat percentage is causal of elevated ApoB.     

低剂量电离辐射对大鼠海马新生神经元树突生长发育的抑制作用

目的 观察电离辐射对幼年大鼠海马齿状回新生神经元树突生长发育的影响。方法 SD大鼠按随机数字表法分为照射组(20只)和健康对照组(20只),照射组给予单次2 Gy全脑照射。所有大鼠均予海马区立体定向注射反转录病毒标记新生神经元,免疫荧光染色观察照射后不同时间新生神经元树突形态的变化。结果 与健康对照组相比,照射组在照射后2周和4周新生神经元树突总长度、最长树突的长度均显著减少(t=3.10、2.07、2.94、4.02,P<0.05),神经元分支数在照射后2周显著减少(t=2.23,P<0.05)。照射后4周,海马区新生神经元数量显著降低(t=8.43,P<0.05)。结论 低剂量电离辐射可抑制幼年大鼠海马齿状回新生神经元的生长发育,这可能是射线致海马依赖的认知功能障碍发生的机制之一。     

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT): Interim Results of a Multi-arm Phase I Trial (DESTROY-2)

AimsTo present the interim results of a phase I trial on stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivered using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in patients with primary or metastatic tumours in different extracranial sites.Materials and methodsPatients were enrolled in different arms according to tumour site and clinical stage, and sequentially assigned to a given dose level. Acute toxicity, tumour response and early local control were investigated and reported.ResultsOne hundred lesions in 65 consecutive patients (male/female: 30/35, median age: 66 years; range: 40–89) were treated. Of these 100 lesions, 21 were primary or metastatic lung tumours, 24 were liver metastases, 30 were bone metastases, 24 were nodal metastases and one was a primary vulvar melanoma. The prescribed dose ranged from 12 (BED_2Gy,α/β:10 = 26.4 Gy) to 28 Gy (BED_2Gy,α/β:10 = 106.4 Gy) to the planning target volume. Twenty-one patients (32.3%) experienced grade 1–2 acute toxicity, which was grade 2 in only two cases. The overall response rate based on computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging was 52% (95% confidence interval 40.1–63.2%) and based on positron emission tomography scan was 90% (95% confidence interval 76.2–96.4%). As of November 2013, the median duration of follow-up was 11 months (range = 1–38). Recurrence/progression within the SRS-VMAT treated field was observed in nine patients (total lesions = 18): the inside SRS-VMAT field local control expressed on a per lesion basis was 87.8% at 12 months and 71.9% at 24 months.ConclusionsThe maximum tolerable dose has not yet been reached in any study arm. SRS-VMAT resulted in positive early clinical results in terms of tumour response, local control rate and acute toxicity.